Kevin Ripley
Senior Director of Culinary
Maggiano’s Little Italy

Ghirardelli^® Midnight Frappé Tres Leches

Recipe courtesy of Kevin Ripley
Sponsor: Ghirardelli^®

Servings: 9 (3 x 4-in) servings

Ingredients

Cake:

• ½ c Ghirardelli^® Midnight Cocoa Powder
• 2/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 5 lg eggs
• 7 oz sugar
• 1/3 c whole milk
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Soaking Liquid:

• ¼ c Ghirardelli^® Dark Chocolate Chip Frappé Mix
• ½ c heavy cream
• 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk
• Pinch kosher salt

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

• 4 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar
• 2 Tbsp Ghirardelli^® Midnight Cocoa Powder
• 2 ½ c heavy cream

Meringue:

• 4 lg egg whites
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Tuxedo Chocolate Shards:

• 10 ½ oz Ghirardelli^® Dark Coating Wafers
• 5 ¼ oz Ghirardelli^® White Coating Wafers

For Service:

• Ghirardelli^® Midnight Cocoa Powder, as needed

Directions

Cake:

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray the bottom of a 9 x 13–in baking dish or nonreactive metal pan. Line the bottom of the baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a medium bowl and the yolks in a large bowl.
4. Beat the yolks with 5 ¼ oz of the sugar on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the milk and vanilla and beat until combined, 1 minute.
5. Clean and dry the beater and then beat the egg whites, gradually increasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form, 2–3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 ¾ oz of sugar in a stream, continuing to beat on high until you reach firm but not dry peaks, 1–2 minutes.
6. Whisk a third of the dry ingredients into the yolk mixture until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in a third of the egg whites with a rubber spatula. Fold in the remaining dry ingredients and egg whites, alternately, in two more batches each, until fully incorporated.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer comes out clean, 20–25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack, remove the parchment and let it cool completely. Return the cake to the baking dish and prepare soaking liquid.

Soaking Liquid:

1. In a 2-qt saucepan, stir together the Frappé Mix, cream, condensed milk, evaporated milk and salt until well blended.
2. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring to avoid scorching, until it begins to bubble around the edges, 3–5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. With a skewer, poke holes in the cake to the bottom in ½-in intervals. Pour the soaking liquid slowly over the cake, starting at the edges and pausing to let it soak in before adding more.
4. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the cake is well chilled, at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

1. Sift together the sugar and Midnight Cocoa.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream with an electric mixer on medium speed.
3. When it begins to thicken, slowly add the sugar/cocoa mixture and continue to beat until it holds firm peaks, 3–4 minutes (be careful not to overbeat).
4. Spread the whipped cream over the top of the chilled cake. Cover and refrigerate.

Meringue:

1. Remove eggs from the refrigerator and separate, as they will separate best cold. Allow the egg whites to reach room temperature to allow them to whip to their fullest.
2. Pour the whites into a clean bowl. Whip them on high speed until they are glossy and smooth, then add the cream of tartar to help the egg whites hold their form.
3. Slowly add the sugar, about 1 Tbsp at a time, beating after each addition until the sugar is incorporated. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
4. Place the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a star tip.

Tuxedo Chocolate Shards:

1. Using a microwave or double boiler, melt the dark wafers in one bowl and the white wafers in another.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the melted dark wafers evenly to 1/8 in thick.
3. Working quickly before the chocolate hardens, drizzle the melted white wafers over the dark. Using a skewer or chopstick, make a marble design in the chocolate until the desired effect is achieved.
4. Let the chocolate harden completely, then break into shards to garnish the cake.

For Service:

1. Cut the cake into 9 (3 x 4–in) pieces. Place one piece in the center of a plate.
2. Pipe meringue onto the top of cake, covering it completely so there are nice stiff peaks.
3. Use a kitchen torch to toast the top of the meringue.
4. Garnish with a light dusting of cocoa powder and some of the Tuxedo Chocolate Shards.

Chef Notes

The cake is best made the day before so it can soak up the liquid overnight.

The meringue can be piped as little or as much as you think is aesthetically pleasing, and different tip sizes can be used.

The recipe can be increased to fit a larger cake pan or 2-in hotel pan.

Project Management: Summit F&B
Photography: Carlos Garcia // Food Styling: Peg Blackley